1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a method of converting a motor vehicle into a livery motor vehicle, and more particularly, to a method of converting a production hybrid motor vehicle into a hybrid livery motor vehicle.
2. Description of the Related Art
The livery industry is a multibillion dollar industry comprised of a plurality of motor vehicles, operators, as well as a plethora of passengers from across United States and around the world. The livery motor vehicle, with its extended passenger compartment, is a crucial component of this industry, and the method of converting production motor vehicles into extended livery motor vehicles is well known in the art.
As a result of recent environmental concerns, government agencies as well as a number of private corporations have pushed for a reduction of carbon emissions. The livery industry, with its millions of motor vehicles across the United States and around the world is a major contributor of global carbon emissions. For this reason, as well as out of energy independence concerns, the livery motor vehicle industry has recently come under heavy pressure to make the switch toward a cleaner and more energy efficient transportation solution. The livery motor vehicle industry in turn has answered the “switch to green” call by experimenting with alternate fuel sources such as Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and Propane, which the industry has implemented in their LINCOLN TOWN CAR™ and MERCURY GRAND MARQUIS™ fleet. Unfortunately, the reduction in carbon emissions resulting from implementing these technologies has come at a price of a roughly twenty percent increase in fuel consumption, and consequently this approach has proven ineffective in meeting the aforementioned environmental and energy independence concerns.
The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a low carbon emission, and highly energy efficient hybrid livery motor vehicle, by extending from three to twelve inches the wheelbase of production hybrid motor vehicles, thereby increasing the passenger compartment size, an essential requirement to meet the needs of the taxi, limousine, corporate transportation and other livery industries.
The present method can be utilized on any production hybrid vehicle, and meets or exceeds: Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) Standards, Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS), as well as Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Emission requirements. Additionally, the present method allows one skilled in the art to either elongate the vehicle in the mid-section, to produce a hybrid taxi motor vehicle, or to elongate the vehicle at the rear door, to produce a limousine motor vehicle.